VacMaster VP 112 vacuum sealer.


 
B

bryan baker

TVWBB Member
After having been through a few foodsavers I am very close to pulling the trigger on this sealer. VP 112 It is an entry level chamber style vacuum sealer. After doing quite a bit of research I am thinking this is the one for me.

I was curious if any of you all have any personal experience with them and If you are happy with your purchase?

Or if you have any opinions on chamber style sealers would love to hear them.

Thanks in advance,
Bryan
 
W
icon_eek.gif
W. That's a nice sealer.
 
That's "entry level"?
icon_confused.gif

Um...after seeing that, my sealer is apparently pre-historic!
If you get it, PLEASE give us a follow-up review...that thing looks wicked!
 
Will do on the follow up review.
icon_smile.gif


I vacuum seal practically everything I smoke. I am a OAMC and am thinking the ability to vac seal liquids easier will be a very nice addition. Plus the chamber style bags are super cheap compared to the strip style sealer bags.

Also the ability to play around with Sous-Vide style of cooking will be fun.
 
Looks like a nice size chamber sealer for home use.

I've seen them (VP112) cheaper though, might want to shop around.

$600 from the Webstaurant store, and as low as $527 elsewhere including shipping.

Webstaurant store is a very reliable source. I've used them in the past.
 
that thing looks pretty awesome. I had no idea there was an entry level chamber vac.

Also the ability to play around with Sous-Vide style of cooking will be fun.
Click to expand...

SV is easily done with a food saver, the only trick is to freeze liquids before sealing. The advantage to the chamber vac is the compressions. There some cool stuff out there with compressed fruits and veggies.

The other advantage the chamber vac has is that with a fs, your sv meats get a waffle impression from the bags. Its a tell that the meats were sv'd, and something you'd never see at a restaurant (although there are still other subtle tells).

Have fun and be sure to pm me when you get set up with sv, I can give you some of my favorite recipes.
 
To J's point. I have been using a semi commercial vac sealer (15" capacity) external type. Much more expensive than typical home external bag sealers @ about $350-400.

I've been using the pre freeze method for liquids without issue.

It is more expensive and less "counter friendly" than typical Tilia/FS style economy versions.

But it has all of the features in terms of being heavy duty, ability to repair and get parts, etc. Large bag capacities very high vacuum level, dual pump, fan cooled, 1/4 inch sealing strip. It's a continuous duty sealer.

Not a problem with it for over or about 3 years so far.

Nice thing with the 15" bar is that you can seal two smaller bags at the same time. Using roll bag stock you can virtually bag any size item you'll run into. Using the 15" roll stock I've bagged whole turkeys, cakes, sausages, whole hams, etc.

The value to me with this 15 inch sealer vs the chamber unit shown is that you are not limited to the size of the chamber.

I've written about it before, so didn't want to bore folks with the same old posts. To mee it's a better value in that it's repairable and will outlast a number of the FS/Tilia brand models.

You can also do better buying mesh bags in quantity that buying FS bags at the big box stores when you shop around. This unit will also use the standard FS type bags though if you want. It has the external port for canisters and the like as well.

Regardless the chamber sealer shown is an awesome opportunity/price for someone looking for a commercial duty home size chamber sealer IMHO.

Here's the heavy duty 15" sealer I reference:

15" Sealer

Also sold under the Weston name:

Weston

You'll see a similar version sold by Cabela's and Basspro but those versions don't have the fan cooling which I think is a significant deficit.
 
Ray, I think you've posted about that unit before and its been on the back of my mind ever since. I can't wait for the inevitable to happen (my fs dying), because that's going to be my next unit. I was thinking about it exactly like you were and the limited nature of the chamber vac. Thanks for mentioning it.
 
I looked very long and hard at the Weston. It looks to be an excellent unit. I hate that Cabela's and Bass Pro sells a version without the fan for more money. The fan cooled unit seems would be a much better unit.

I have used a fs for a long time and frozen liquids before vac sealing them. When you have 16 quarts of liquids to freeze it gets to be a hassle.

A huge difference between the two also comes when sealing meat. When you have a moist piece of meat to seal and you see the juices start running towards seal strip then you might have problems getting a good seal with the strip type sealers. You can always double or triple seal like some people do but then again that takes allot of time and wear and tear on your machine. In a vac chamber the whole chamber is vacuumed out so there is no differential of vacuum between the outside and inside of the bag until the atmospheric pressure is reintroduced into the chamber therefore the juices and liquids stay put and don't get in the seal strip.

Still learning though so that's why I asked if anyone had any thoughts on chamber vacs.

Quality Matters has the sealer with no sales tax and free shipping. But I wanted to support the board by posting the Amazon link through the website.

Thanks J, I will definitely give you a yell when I get closer to the SV.

Thanks,
 
Yeah Bryan - if I was doing liquids often in the quantities you mention that chamber sealer would be on my list. I really like that unit.
Definitely wasn't trying to talk you out of it
icon_smile.gif
That VP112 is sweet, especially at the lower prices I saw than on the Amazon listing.

I also like it for small quantities of liquids say where you want to just put them in the fridge and don't necessarily want to freeze them.

Most of the stuff I bag gets wrapped in plastic wrap before it goes in the bag since I re-use bags several times. Makes it easier to re-use, rinse out before re-using them.

AFA meat juices the pre-wrap usually resolves the migration you talk about.

If I have something that looks like it will be a problem I use a zip lock as a interior layer. Zip lock all but the last inch before inserting it with its contents into the in the seal bag with its opening towards the bottom. That method works great.

Thing is with the heavier duty strip sealer mentioned it takes less time to seal so that migration has less time to take place. I also thing it's less of a problem with the mesh liner type bags. The seal bar is wider and heavier than the consumer duty which also helps a great deal.
 
Thanks for the feedback Ray.
icon_smile.gif
Discussion is always good.

I wish I had learned more about the strip type sealers when I had my fs. I'm sure they would have lasted a little longer and had much less seal failures.

Ordering today! Wish me luck lol .
 
Hey Bryan - good luck! After looking at the videos and the tech I'm not thinking luck will be an issue. Looks like a solid unit. It sure looks like a good design.

Wish we lived closer so I could see it in action. Really tempting. Definitely fits a market niche that wasn't being addressed before IMHO.

One of the challenges with these "semi commercial" units is that they aren't "counter friendly". I.E. - your interior decorator may not approve and will want to keep it hidden. Lucky for me I have several roll out shelves in the kitchen and thats where the big strip sealer went. It's in a convenient spot where I can easily stroll over and lift it out and on to the counter and seal away. Never a doubt about whether I'll have to fiddle about, press down on anything to keep a good seal or if it's going to work. To me it's been like a Kitchen Aid lift mixer in terms of reliability.

That VP112 looks like it's in the same category to me.
 
Have had a couple of days to play with the unit and first impression is excellent. Been sealing bags of water just because I can
icon_smile.gif
lol.

Learning the proper position of the bag seems to be my biggest concern of getting a good seal. Making sure the bag is smooth across the seal bar is very important. Placing a kitchen towel on top of the bag seems to work best but still have playing to do. 20 pounds of chicken planned for this weekend on the 22.5 will be the first big test for the unit.

Only drawback is this thing is big and heavy. 60lbs and takes up allot of counter space. The next model up is 90 lbs.

Unit seems to be made of high quality materials.

Another question I had was bag material. There are the standard bags and then boil in bags for sous vide. I opted for the boil in bags. Just to be on the safe side. Not wanting to worry about chemicals leaching into into my food.

Will post more after I have had a chance to work the unit a little.

So far everything is a big thumbs up.
icon_smile.gif
 
Interested in getting final impressions. You did expect big, so that's no surprise. Yeah I'd get boil in bags too. I reheat/deforst often by boiling to slowly move up to 140 degree or so for a lot of items.

What are the physical dimensions though. I figure it's taking up as much counter space as my HD external sealer does. Although I expect your chamber unit to be heavier/no surprise.

Bags of water - you crack me up
icon_smile.gif
Sounds like something I'd be doing.
 
I'll do a rough measurement when I get home from work and post.

Bags of water are more fun than I imagined LOL!!!

Everybody at work thinks I'm crazy because I am so excited about this unit.

I may need to get a life
icon_smile.gif
 
Here are some specs from the machine.

Chamber Size: 12” x 11“ x 5”
Overall Dimensions: 24” x 16” x 9”
Shipping: 27.5 L x 19.5 w x 12 h
Opening chamber sealer lid will fit under std cabinets
Seal Bars: 1 @ 12”
Pump: Dry rocker piston
Vacuum Level: 28
Cycle Time: 30-60 Seconds
Electrical Specifications: 110V, 60Hz, 6Amps
Weight: 53 lbs.


No time to play with the unit last night. Gearing up for the big cook this weekend.
icon_smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top